Coordinating with our schools to address safety issues, and not just those relating to sidewalks, is of critical importance. As a commissioner I will work to make this a top priority. But we also need to focus on the future of these children in our county and in our state.

Greg Malinowski has completely failed on this account. Repeatedly vilifying development as an encroachment on local communities highlights the dysfunction within the land-use planning system of which he is a part.Washington County has led Oregon’s economic recovery in spite of Greg Malinowski, not because of him. As someone who places the safety of our children above all else, I applaud his efforts to address sidewalks and permit issues related to sidewalk construction. But as someone also concerned with their future, ensuring sustainable, well-managed growth must be a close second to safety.

We need to engage with local communities and ensure they have the same level of representation developers and economic interests do. We need to ensure developers, not taxpayers, foot the bill for sidewalks in new construction. We need to grow -- the future of Washington County’s children depends upon it. But we cannot do so on the backs of hard-working Oregonians.

My opponent’s policies would not only place undue burdens upon hard-working families and young professionals, but also contribute to them by stifling responsible, sustainable growth. I am running to ensure that developers and other economic interests pay their fair share and that growth is responsible and well-managed.

So far, Greg Malinowski has shown himself to be an opponent of responsible growth, choosing instead to focus on matters with which we all agree instead of making the tough decisions that come with the broader vision the founders of our land-use planning system had in mind.

Bob Zahrowski is a candidate to represent District 2 on the Washington County Commission. He lives in Rock Creek.